Former Senator Vicente
T. Paterno passes away

Former Senator Vicente T. Paterno passed away this morning,
November 21, 2014, at 8:36am. The wake starts tonight at 9:30pm
at Santuario de San Antonio, Forbes Park, Makati City. We were
informed by the family that in lieu of flowers, donations be
given instead to Phil. Seven Foundation, Inc.

Mr. Paterno was a member of the NAMFREL National
Council from 1986, when he was also NAMFREL chairman
for the National Capital Region. In the run-up to
the 1986 election, he was instrumental in turning
branches of fast-food chain Wendy’s into NAMFREL
assistance centers, where volunteer sign-up sheets
were distributed, and where donations for NAMFREL
volunteers were received. On February 8, 1986, he
was a member of the NAMFREL panel during the
infamous interview on national TV, which defended
the continuation of NAMFREL’s historic parallel
count, despite vicious opposition on-air. The
incident fueled more support for the organization.

He was Founding Chairman of Philippine Seven
Corporation, the local franchise holder of the
7-Eleven chain of stores. In 1986, he became
Chairman of the Makati Business Club. From 1987 to
1992, he was Senator of the Republic of the
Philippines, during which he was also Chairman of
the Committee on Economic Affairs. A graduate of
Mechanical Engineering from the University of the
Philippines, he was chosen by UP in 2010 as one of
the 100 Outstanding Engineers of the Century.

From 2008, Mr. Paterno became one of the prime
movers of FSGO, or Former Senior Government
Officials, an expert group of Filipinos who had
served as senior officials at Cabinet and
sub-Cabinet levels of the Philippine Government, and
who speaks out against corruption in government and
advocates a more professional conduct of government
affairs. To quote their mission statement, “We
propose actions marked by the discipline of managed
effort with sound planning, efficient organization,
and good execution...We want politics to serve our
people, not just the politicians, so that our
government truly becomes the servant of our common
welfare and well-being, not the instrument of our
oppressors and exploiters.”

On November 10 this year, NAMFREL honored him with
the 2014 Bantay ng Bayan Award, “for his significant
contribution towards the strengthening of the
NAMFREL volunteer movement at its most crucial time;
for his leadership not just in the business sector
but also in government; and for continuously serving
as a role model not just for ordinary citizens but
also to those who aspire for public office.”

Mr. Paterno was a true statesman, and his passing is
a significant loss to the country that he continued
to serve until the very end.